Best Carmel Valley Hotels

Where Carmel-by-the-sea is artsy, popular, and intense (and all too often smudged by fog) the Carmel Valley is simple, unspoiled, and (if its luck holds) bathed in sunlight. This is a place where California's great outdoors becomes truly sublime, its wooded mountains flanked by acres of vineyards and separated by tumbling streams. It's also a landscape eager to share its treasures, dotted with wine-tasting rooms, organic markets, and classy restaurants.

Hotels in Carmel Valley

You'll find superb Carmel Valley accommodation either side of the main road that runs some 20-miles inland from Carmel-by-the-sea. Expect a mix of small lodges and converted farms, grand country clubs and relaxing spa hotels. Bernardus Lodge & Spa is one of the latter, a four-star Carmel Valley resort offering a full-service spa, outdoor tennis courts and pool. Its service, tranquility and setting are much-praised by reviewers. The Carmel Valley Ranch also indulges its guests with a complete luxury spa experience, also boasting an 18-hole golf course. Close to Carmel Beach is the Quail Golf Lodge & Golf Club, noted for its lovely, spacious rooms and putting-green views.

Things to see in Carmel Valley

This is wine country, with Carmel Valley home to numerous wineries and wine-tasting rooms. The Bernardus Winery Tasting Room is one of the best, allowing guests to taste from flights of 4 wines, served with cheese or charcuterie. Here you can also get hold of limited edition Bernardus bottlings. It's not just the fruit of the vine that Carmel Valley is famed for—its soils and Mediterranean climate nurture a range of fresh farm produce. A fantastic place to experience this harvest at its most wholesome is Earthbound Farm, the Valley's premier organic food grower. You can cut your own herbs, wander around a chamomile aromatherapy labyrinth, and browse the organic riches on show. The natural splendor of the Valley can also be enjoyed at the Garland Ranch Regional Park. Its trails lead to deserted historic houses, waterfalls, and redwood canyons, and can be taken on foot or horseback.

Good for lovers of food, wine and the great outdoors

Carmel Valley is a little like heaven for epicureans, its famed wines and fresh farm produce pairing one another beautifully. Your days here can be spent exploring the range and depth of its terroir on guided wine itineraries. In the evenings, you can enjoy rustic-style dining in mountain lodges, or first-class cuisine at the Village's fine bistros. Magnificent scenery here everywhere here but doesn't need to be only a backdrop. Stay in a Carmel Valley retreat and you can hike its mountains, horse-ride among its hills, or fish its streams. Or you can simply shoulder your club bag and enjoy a round at one of several stunning golf courses.

How to get to Carmel Valley

The closest commercial airport to Carmel is Monterey Regional Airport, which connects to airports across the Southwest. Because public transport is limited in Carmel Valley, hiring a car is recommended here. Travel to Carmel Valley can be along the CA-68 W, if you want to quickly reach the Village, or you can take the CA-1, if you'd prefer a drive all the way up the Valley from the coast. You can also drive in from places like San Jose (90 minutes away down the CA-1) or San Francisco (2 hours away from your Carmel Valley hotel by car, following the US-101 S all the way down).

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